Machine for molding flower-pots.



No. 639,5I4. Patented Im. I9, |899.

' H. N. eBooks.

MACHINE Fon NOLDINI; FLowEN PoTs.

( Application filed Jan. 5, 1899.)

(No Model.)

NITRD STATES PATENT Ormes.

HARRY N. BROOKS, OF ORRINGTON, MAINE.

MACHINE FOR MOLDING FLOWER-POTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 639,514, dated December19, 1899.

Application filed January 5, 1899. Serial No. 701,184. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be itknown that I, HARRY N BROOKS, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Orrington, county of Penobscot, State ofMaine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines forMolding Flower-Pots, of which the following is a specification.

In the manufacture of ower-pots or other ware from clay or similarmaterial upon a molding-machine great pressure is required to force theclay contained in the mold against the revolving core to form thearticle. The mold is usually mounted upon a base-plate and supportedupon a piston-rod working in a steam cylinder adapted to furnish powerto press the clay in said mold against a revolving core to forni thearticle, and the pressure required rapidly increases while the articleis being formed, rising to a maximum as it is completed. In practicegreat difficulty has been experienced to adapt a steam-cylinder toproduce the increasing pressure necessary to uniformly force the mold upover the core' to form perfect articles.

The object of this invention is to provide mechanism constructed andarranged to operate inconnection with the piston-rod to increase thepressure upon the mold as the article is being formed, to uniformlyforce said mold over the core, to vary the intensity of the pressure asthe mold advances, and to quickly apply or remove said pressuretherefrom when the article is completed.

In accordance with this invention a liftingarm is constructed andarranged to press the mold up over the core, engaging thebascplate ofsaid mold, and a lifting-lever is pivoted to said lifting-arm andmovably secured to the frame of the machine. Mechanism is provided foroperating said lifting-lever to the construction of the mold to behereinafter referred to.

The letter a denotes the frame of the machine, having arranged near itsupper end a revolving core b for forming the inside of the article to bemolded. A mold cis supported upon a base-plated, mounted upon a pistnrode, adapted to work up and down in a steam-cylinder f, and a guide g isprovided for keeping said mold c in alinelnent with said revolving coreb as it presses the clay against said core b to form the article,consisting of a block g, having guideways engaging the frame a of themachine. A drivingpulley h, carrying a driving-belt h', rotates saidcore b, having securedthereto a shaft h2, turning in bearings in theframe a, and a bevel-gear h3 is arranged upon the end of said shaft h2to engage a similar bevel-gear i, secured to the upper end of a shortvertical shaft i', Working in bearings t2 in said frame a. Said verticalshaft t" is arranged to support said core b, and a stout spiral spring spasses around said shaft t" between the bearing and said core ZJ to takeup the thrust of said mold c.

The steam-cylinderf is provided to furnish power to work the machine andis secured to the frame ct thereof, and said steam-cylinder f isprovided with a three-way valve m20 and pipes leading to each endthereof and arranged to admit steam thereto to work the piston-rod e anda throttle-valve m2. A handlever 'm3 and an intermediate connecting-le'ver m4 are provided and pivoted to the frame d of the machine to controlthe admission of steam to said cylinder f.

A movable plate o forms the bottom of the mold c while the article isbeing formed, and to remove the finished article from said mold a rod ois secured to said plate o, constructed and arranged to engage a stop o2as said mold c descends after the article has been formed, which arrestsfurther downward motion of said plate 0, and the article being supportedthereon clear from said mold c may be rel moved from the machine by theoperator.

A lever n is pivoted to the upper end of the frame of the machine, and alifting-arm n2 is pivotally secured to said lever n, the lower end of-Which is adapted to engage the baseplate d of the` mold c. A rope orchain 'n3 connects the long arm n of said levernwith a shaft n4, workingin bearings a5, and means,

IOC)

to be described, is provided to turn said shaft n4 to wind thereon saidrope or chain n3, and as Said rope or chain n3 is wound upon said shaftn4 said long arm n of said lever u descends and the short arm n2 thereofrises, carrying with it said lifting-arm In? and said mold c, engaged byit, up over the core l) with great force. A clutch n is employed toconnect said shaft n* with a driving-shaft n? to furnish power, andafoot-lever ns is provided to operate said clutch n and arranged to beworked by the foot of they operator. Said clutch ns may be of anywell-known or suitable construction and is shown in the drawings asformed of a tapering pulley w12, secured to said driving-shaft 727, anda pulley n, secured to said shaft n4, having a recess into which saidtapering pulley 17,12 enters, and to operate said clutch m6saidfoot-lever n is pivoted to an upwardly-projecting portion m13 of thepost supporting the bearingv?.5 of said shaft n4 next the end thereof,on which the rope or chain n3 is wound, and said footlever its isprovided with a portion n, adapted to engage the end of said shaft n4,and a spring n10 normally supports said lever its in a position out ofengagement with the end of said shaft n".

To operate the lifting-arm n2 to raise the mold c, the foot-lever ns ispressed down, the projecting portion w13 thereof causing the shaft n4 toadvance slightly and force the recessed pulley n into fric-tionalengagement with the tapering pulley w12, mounted upon the driving-shaft'127, revolving said shaft n4, the rope or chain n3, secured thereto,being Wound thereon, and the long arm 'n' of the lever 'n descends,elevating said lifting-arm n2 and carrying said mold c with it up overthe revolving core b with great force.

The operation of the molding-machine is as follows: Steam is supplied tothe cylinder f to work the piston-rod e, power is furnished to thedriving-belt h to revolve the core b, and power is also furnished to thebelt n, carried upon the pulley 91,15 to revolve the drivingshaft 'nl ofthe clutch mechanism to operate the lifting-arm n. The mold c being in aposition out of engagement with the coreb a ball of clay is introducedinto said mold c, and steam is turned on by the hand-leverm, which enters the cylinder f and raises the piston-rod e, carrying said mold c upover the revolving core b and forcing the clay against said core b. Asthe article is formed the pressure required to force said mold c up oversaid core b rapidly increases, and when said article is about halffinished the liftingarm n2 is moved into engagement with the baseplateof said mold c by, the hand of the operator to complete the molding ofthe article. The foot-levern8 is depressed, causingthe two members 7Land h12 of the clutch n to frictionally engage each other, when thedriving-shaft '11,7 will revolve the shaft n4, the rope or chain n3being wound thereon, depressing the long arm n' of the lever n andrai-sing said lifting-arm n.2, which carries with it up over said core bsaid mold c, with uniform upward motion until the upper rim c thereofengages a flange b', formed upon said core l), when the molding of thearticle is completed. The mechanism operating the lifting-arm n2 isthrown ont of engagement therewith by removing pressure from thefoot-lever u8, and the hand-lever m3 is operated to reverse thesteam-pressure upon the piston-rod e, when the mold c descends. The rodo', secured to the movable bottom of said mold c, striking upon a stopo2, disengages the article from said mold c, and a further downwardmotion of said mold leaves the article supported upon said movablebottom o, when it may be removed fron the machine by the operator.

Flowerpots or similar ware are usually provided with a 'flange formedupon the outside surface thereof, near the top of the pot, forconvenience in handling, and a mold provided with such a flange is shownin Fig. 2 of the drawings. In practice air is confined between theshoulder of the mold and the clay while the pot is being molded,blemishing the finished pot by forming furrows in the outside surfacethereof in its effort to escape from said mold.

In Fig. 2 ofthe drawings a section ofa mold for making flower-pots isshown provided with a small hole m' through the shoulder m, which formsthe liange on the outside of the pot to allow the escape of the confinedair, and the metal of the mold is cut away nearly through to the insidethereof, so that the clay will not plug the hole. A mold provided with aventliole, as explained above, forthe escape of the confined air formsthe articles withoutmarks or blemishes.

l. Inamachine for molding flower-pots or similar ware from clay, arevolving core, a mold, a base -plate for said mold, a lifting-armpivoted above said'mold constructed and arranged to engage saidbase-plate, mechanism for raising said lifting-arm to force said mold upover said core to mold the article, adriving-shaft to furnish power, afriction-clutch connecting said mechanism with said drivingshaft andmeans for operating said clutch to throw said mechanism out ofengagement with said driving-shaft,substantially as described.,

2. Ina machine of the kind described, arevolving core, a mold, abase-plate for said mold, a lifting-arm constructed and arranged toengage said base-plate, a lever to raise said lifting-arm to press saidmold up over said core to form Vthe article, a drum, a rope or chainseen red to said lever and adapted to be wound upon said drum to depresssaid lever, a driving-shaft, a friction-clutch connecting said drum withsaid driving-shaft and means for operating said clutch to disconnectsaiddrum from said driving-shaft, substantially as described.

3. In a machine of the kind described, a revolving core, a mold, abase-plate supporting IOO IIO

said mold, a steam-cylinder, a piston-rod arranged to work up and downtherein to press said mold up over said core to form the article, alifting-arm constructed and arranged to Work in connection with saidpiston-rod engaging said base-plate and means for raising saidlifting-arm to force said mold up over said core to form the article,substantiallyas described.

4. In a machine of the kind described, a re volving core, a mold, abase-plate supportin g said mold, a steam-cylinder, a piston-rodarranged to Work up and down therein to press said mold up over saidcore, a lifting-arm en gaging said base-plate constructed and arrangedto work in connection With said 'pistonrod, a lever pivoted to saidlifting-arm and means for depressing said lever to raise saidlifting-arm, substantially as described.

Signed by me at Bangor, Maine, this 22d day of December, 1898.

HARRY N. BROOKS.

Witnesses:

WM. B. PEIRCE, HARRY O. RoBINsoN.

